Advice needed

Dannywayoflife · April 26, 2011, 11:40:31 AM

Hi everyone,
As some of you know i am a 28 year old former competative athelete and former soldier. I started having problems with my left hip early last year and was diagnosed with FAI,OA and degenerative liberal tear. I had arthroscopy and this released some of my range of motion again but it is still quite bad and is ruining my life as I'm unable to carry out my normal sports and has already ruined my career.
I have just seen the surgeon who did my arthroscopy as I asked to go back to discuss further pain management ie cortisone. But as my appointment grew closer my hip started to feel slightly better and I didn't think I'd need cortisone. But at the same time my left hip started to feel "odd" so I asked to day weather he could look at my right hip for signs of FAI and sure enough he said I have it on there aswell and have signs of early OA he said he thought it would go the same way as my left hip.
At which I asked him to put in as plain terms as possible how bad my left was and he said " I'm amazed your able to stand on it." he went on to explain that it was really worn and he said it would be easy to justify operating today but that it was up to me
I feel like I'm in a dilemma as I just started s new job and I am not entitled to any sick pay or anything at present. I said I would like to try and get to next march when I would be able to claim company sick pay but he said he thought I wouldnt make it that long.
I'm just so down with all this. It's robbed me of my life ie my fighting and has now put pay compleatly to all my future career hopes. What should I do?????
Sorry to waffle danny

Lopsided · April 26, 2011, 12:02:11 PM

I put off my surgery, as I did not really have pain, just lack of movement, virtually zero movement by the end. After surgery, I was told I had a cyst that needed to be filled with a bone graft, and had probably been growing for six to twelve months before surgery. If I had waited longer, I would not have been able to have had uncemented. If I had waited too long, I would not have been able to have resurfacing.

It cost me a lot. I had to sell my house. But now I am better than before. I can work, and will earn more. I have started running again and can play with my children.

I have met younger people than you that did not have the option of resurfacing. So, whether you realise it or not, you have good luck.

Cortisone will just reduce your options.

You know what I suggest.

Dan

FlbrkMike · April 26, 2011, 12:31:53 PM

Danny,

I'm really sorry to hear of your situation. Do you live in the US? Some states have State Disability Insurance programs that are meant to cover the exact situation that you are in, and kick in after a short period of employment.

Dannywayoflife · April 26, 2011, 12:39:38 PM

Quote from: FlbrkMike on April 26, 2011, 12:31:53 PM
Danny,

I'm really sorry to hear of your situation. Do you live in the US? Some states have State Disability Insurance programs that are meant to cover the exact situation that you are in, and kick in after a short period of employment.

Hi mate thanks for the reply no unfortunately I live in the uk. I will be financially ruined as I'm pretty sure that my present employer wont wait for me to be fit again.
Lopsided thanks also for your reply I appreciate it. I am going to get an apointment with a specialist HR surgeon and see what they say. My doc did say that I didn't have any sign of avn or cysts so that's something atleast!
Does anyone know if mr mcminn or mr treacy are available on the uk's NHS?
Thanks fir the replys guys I do appreciate it. I am propper down now though!

Eitan · April 26, 2011, 07:44:28 PM

My understanding is that both McMinn and Treacy operate in both the public and private systems in the UK. If you go public with either McMinn or Treacy you will likely have a substantial wait time to surgery. Best of luck.

Eitan

hipnhop · April 27, 2011, 05:00:31 PM

Danny, I had a real bad experience with Cortisone shots. I was unable to walk a day after the shot. The cortisone deteriorated the remaining cartilage felt in my hip. The Doc thought is was a Cortisone flare initially. After two weeks of no relief, they suspected an infection. After three months of testing for an infection, they realized the cortisone caused severe AVN and synovitis. They said it happens in only a few cases and unfortunately I was the one.
I am now 5 weeks post op and doing well.

Beware of the Cortisone especially if you are already near end stage. It can make the whole thing worse in a minute.

23109VC · April 27, 2011, 11:34:20 PM

it is no fun to have hip pain, but know that it can be fixed! you have good doctors over there! they have been doing HR longer than the doctors here in the USA!! go to a good doctor is you can. even if you have to wait a bit longer - at your age you want the surgery to last as LONG as possible... if you go to a newer doctor, you run a higher risk of them making a mistake and then you have to redo it and go to a THR... no thanks!

I was in a lot of pain as I got closer to surgery. I was in a ton of pain the last year or two... i just dealt with it my doing no real major physical activity and by taking aleve and pain killers. there were many nights I took aleve and vicodin to go to sleep.

are you single/married/kids? if you are single, do you have familyl you can live wiht while you do the surgyer and maybe have no job? if you aremarried and have a spouse and kids depending on you - you are in a tougher situation. I was lucky and had been at my job almost 15 years and had a lot of sick time saved up...but i'm 10 years older than you at 38. i'm sorry you have the problems you do. I was having hip pain at your age, but it was starting... it took ten years to get to the point where I was immobile....

maybe you will last longer than the doctor thinks?? i saw a doctor in 2007 who said i was close to being bone on bone...and he dind't htink i woudl last much longer, and I made it until 2011... 2009 and 2010 were painful years... but I didn't run, dind't do any sports... my job is pretty much a desk job..and the only activity i coudl do was upper body weight lifting,s wimming, and bike.. i had a hard time pedaling if i sat down,, but it i was standing on the pedals I coudl ride... it was no fun to give up som much activity... i couldn't run, had a hard time playign with my kids, hiking was out... lots of things I missed out on...bu tI just want' ready to do it.

if you are ready to do the surgery but have to wait for $$ reasons, or ned to wait foteh ridhgt docotr, you could probalby make it.. heck, go to crutche if you have to...

no matter what happens... just know this - you can be fixed! I was in your shoes a few months ago...and now I am pain free. it is liberating. i can lay in bed at night and just relax.. mmy hip doesn't throb anymore like it used to. i can zip up and down stairs with zero pain. i feel like a new person. like i got y life back.. there were a few times in the past few weeks were the realization that I was fixed made me get tears in my eyes.. iit was emotional.... peopel on this website who have been there know what I mean.... you have this sense that your life as you know it is over and then sudenly you get it back... and that feeling is overwhelming..

you will get there. just be patient. be glad we live ina time when doctors have the means to fix what is wrong with us. itw as not long ago that people in our shoes had no choice but to suffer the rest of their lives with this pain..but we can be fixed. I was and you will be.

best of luck to you my friend